BY DAYO ADESULU
COVID-19 Situation Analysis is based on an assessment of knowledge, impact and practice of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and impacted populations in the eight states of north-west and north-central Nigeria. Conducted alongside a detailed assessment by the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) unit, the report covers the period 27 July to 8 August 2020 and reflects trends from Benue, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Nasarawa, Plateau, Sokoto and Zamfara states.
Respondents were interviewed on a range of COVID-19 related indicators
In this first such assessment, 1,278 sites were assessed comprising of 63 camps and camp-like settings and 1,215 locations in the host communities.
The State of Plateau had the highest number of sites assessed with a total of 234 sites, including both camp and host communities, followed by Katsina at 202 and Kaduna at 194 sites.
Respondents were interviewed on a range of COVID-19 related indicators. Key informant interviews and focus group discussions were the primary methods used for the assessment and the findings were corroborated with physical on ground observations.
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The information collated and analyzed in this report includes awareness about COVID-19 among IDPs, means of getting information, level of awareness (in camps and in host communities, respectively), exposure to communication on risks associated with COVID-19, primary means of obtaining information about risks, mitigation measures taken (in camps and among host communities, respectively), health centre’s COVID-19 readiness, any increase in threats of evictions, any disruption of services due to COVID-19, access to services (in camps and in host communities, respectively) and access to soap/water for the purpose of hand washing which is critical for stopping the spread of the virus.
The pandemic is deepening the already precarious socioeconomic situation in the two zones which are afflicted with multidimensional crises — rooted in historic ethnic-social cleavages — and exasperated by recent large scale displacements due to a range of reasons including crime.